I recently stumbled upon Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. I really want to take classes there someday. It’s an amazing little school and a tiny town of 200 people in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They have classes in books and paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking and letterpress, textiles and wood. Here is the entrance sign.

I’ve been impressed with the street art of Asheville, especially the graffiti. I’ve always admired the bold, bright use of colors and the illusive nature of the art. There are several artists that come to mind when I think of this genre. One I LOVE is Banksy and his political pieces. Another is skateboard and surfboard artist Jim Phillips. Graffiti is controversial and is considered vandalism but, it is an inspiring part of our natural consciousness. Here are some inspiring and colorful pieces I came across on my walks through Asheville.

I’ve been learning how to turn my water color sketches into patterns. I talked about it last week here. This week I wanted to share with you my first water color placement pattern. My next goal is to create a hand drawn and a water colored font. FUN!

Come join me on December 4th at stripe Men and see my hex sign series ‘Abundance.’ The ‘Abundance’ series was painted with the intention of creating a sense of plenty in the home where it is hung. Each hex sign features an eight-pointed star on a 15” x 15” fence board. Slight variations in the wood’s character reveal upcycled origins, with designs painted with acrylic and a polymer varnish used as a sealant. Some of the works also contain collaged paper.

If you like the signs and can’t make it to the show, you can buy them in my etsy store.